Last of the Greatest

I’ve written on several occasions about the remarkable set of brothers and sisters of whom my father was the youngest. They formed a bedrock of excellence which served as a shining example to a much younger version of myself. When my parents split up I missed the time at the family reunions and other gatherings where I could revel in just being around these kind and very talented people. When I first heard the expression “The Greatest Generation” it didn’t spark any great revelation because I’d always considered this group of aunts and uncles just that. All of the boys, even my very young dad, served in the military during World War 2 and one was killed in action at Guadalcanal. The stalwart sisters and the remarkable women who married the brothers all played important roles on the home front in this defining event of the twentieth century. As I’ve made my own way through life I’ve come to respect even more what they accomplished and the quiet confidence along with bone deep love they shared as a family. I’ve spent my life trying to live up to their ideal. I bring this up because the very last of that awesome crew, my Aunt Mary, departed the realm on Friday night.

Aunt Mary at One of those 1960s Family reunions

She was my godmother and the cousin in chief had warned us that her health was failing earlier in the week. My Favorite Panamanian and I had planned on going up to see her on Saturday when we learned that she had passed peacefully in her sleep the night before. Aunt Mary was someone very special, probably the quietest of the bunch I’m telling you about and married to a real character, my father’s brother Ted. She didn’t mind yielding the floor to his antics over the years but she found ways to let you know she was no shrinking violet; there was some real iron there. Even though we had gone decades without seeing each other when I returned to Thanksgiving for the first time in a very long time she was one of the first to greet us. She also never failed to remember my birthday and always had a quart of maple syrup from her farm to give me. She defined grace and was a fixture, along with her signature homemade donuts, at our family Thanksgivings, even into her nineties. I’ll always remember her as the epitome of kindness; talking with her always transported me back to those family reunions and Thanksgivings of my youth. A kindness I will never be able to repay but something she was all too happy to bestow. The world seems a little dimmer now that the last of the greatest has departed.

FBR Was Busy this Weekend Befriending Neighborhood Dogs

Partying with Friends

And Then Some More

Armed and Dangerous

Our trip to New Hampshire would have been awkward since we realized later in the day that we had already RSVP’d for a graduation party for one of the Latin Mafia. My wife had assured me the party was on Sunday and after our New Hampshire trip was canceled she happened to glance at the invitation and discovered we had about an hour to get ready before we had to leave. Luckily the neighborhood mafiosos were also attending so we car pooled for the party. Father time was certainly tolling the bell as I thought about Aunt Mary’s passing as the young people at the party charged around. We spent most of the time safely ensconced under the tent wheel the grads populated the pool. It was a Godsend that I got to spend the afternoon with good friends .

Wife at the Grad Party

With Neighborhood Mafiosos

The Albanian Festival

Wife, I, and Mafioso

On the way back into Worcester we stopped by the city’s annual Albanian festival which was interesting. The gals watched the folk dancing demonstration while my Mafia counterpart and I engaged in people watching. I didn’t sample the Albanian cuisine, huge surprise there, but they served popcorn and beer so, score. The rest of the weekend was busy as I completed my latest wall project and started another stone bed as part of my wife’s vast garden complex. As I was mowing the grass I noticed a bunch of the pea stones that was supposed to be back by Deckzilla had been liberally sprinkled over the lawn. For some undiscovered reason the FBR felt it was her duty to free these stones from their incarceration. Apparently some of the sassiness of Aunt Mary’s generation was successfully passed down.

Wall Done

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                            

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues